Recognize sexual violence
First part: Street harassment
Among the types of violence against women, sexual violence has a special place in two ways. The first is that this violence is often hidden and it is not easy to investigate and prove it. In many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, taboos Different people align themselves so that any kind of issues related to sexual relations remain behind the curtains. In most of these areas, something called sex education is very weak, and information in this field is always accompanied by censorship and sometimes self-censorship. It becomes more difficult when one side of the issue of sexual violence is a woman. A woman who always hides herself in the aura of privacy and even the name of the family. It comes to the point where all the studies related to the field of women are registered with the name of the woman and the family. And now the issue of sexual violence against women remains hidden from various aspects and directions, either because of the existence of a sexual relationship or because of the presence of women in this phenomenon.
The second characteristic of sexual violence is its pervasiveness and high frequency. So that it always has many victims in different regions, different strata and even different ages. From children to middle-aged people, there are people who have this type of violence in every level of education and social status. have experienced violence.
One of the most common types of sexual violence is street harassment. Average regional reports from different countries prove that every woman experiences some form of street harassment at least once in her life. A report published in Yemen shows that in this country, more than 90% of women, even veiled women, are not safe from street harassment.
According to Dr. Asghar Mohajeri, a sociologist, a recent study conducted by several students shows that every Iranian woman is harassed between 1 and 20 times through verbal and physical harassment by intruders, depending on the distance she travels in the streets and alleys. sees
Street harassment can be applied in various ways. From teasing and sexual insults and verbal violence to handkerchiefs and physical harassment and even sitting close in a taxi, all of them are considered street harassment. In many cases Harassment on the street, if the harasser gets more opportunities, he will engage in more violent behavior and physical attacks and threats.
A misconception that exists in the society regarding street harassment is that the harassed person is to blame for the street harassment and must not have had the appropriate cover or behavior that attracted the harasser to him. But statistics have shown that All women from every class, class, dress and education have experienced this abuse at least once in their life and this idea is just a harmful misconception. The damage of this belief is shown when the victim is afraid of being stigmatized and judged. People remain silent in the face of harassment, and this silence only results in more opportunities for the harasser.
Silence in the face of this type of violence causes more insolence to disturb. Therefore, the best thing to do is to protest loudly about this matter. It is recommended that if the police is present near the place, you must inform about the disturbance so that the harasser can be dealt with immediately. .
Harassment is considered a criminal act according to the law, and in Article 619 of the Islamic Penal Code, punishment is provided for the perpetrator of this act, and according to it, anyone who assaults or disturbs children or women in public places or roads, or with words and movements against If he insults their dignity, he will be sentenced to imprisonment from two to six months and up to 74 lashes.
Filing a complaint, especially when the nuisance is consistently applied by a specific person, such as a neighbor, a seller, etc. It is easier and more provable.
Shayan Sarmi
continues
This post is written by Sara_b_h